Many people throughout the world incorporate the use of Reflexology into their lives in order to relax, improve their overall health and enhance their well-being. Reflexology is an ancient art and scientific form of bodywork that is based on the premise that zones and reflex areas exist in the feet and hands that mirror all glands, organs and parts of the body. The Reflexology practitioner applies alternating pressure with the thumbs and fingers to specific reflex areas on the clients"" feet, hands, ears and body which facilitates the following for the client: increased blood/lymph circulation, release of toxins, stress reduction, improved nerve functioning. Ultimately, this procedure aids the body in achieving a state of homeostasis/balance.
During a session both the client and the Reflexology practitioner must be positioned in a way so as to insure maximum comfort for the client and proper body mechanics for the practitioner.
Traditionally several methods of Reflexology have promoted the use of any available household reclining chair, various types of massage tables, and a collapsible easy chair (U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,926), none of which is designed specifically for administering Reflexology. For example, a chair that is not designed specifically for Reflexology does not take into consideration the varying heights of different people. If a person is reclining in a chair simply for the purpose of xe2x80x9cloungingxe2x80x9d then exactly where his/her feet rest, whether a few inches from the edge or even an inch or two over the edge, does not affect the overall function of the chair for the purpose of a persons general lounging comfort. But, during a Reflexology session the client""s feet must be positioned to rest flush to the edge of the chair. If the client""s feet are anything other than flush to the edge of the chair the ability of the practitioner to correctly perform certain techniques necessary for effective manipulation of the legs and feet is compromised.
In addition, the armrests of all standard manufactured chairs are stationary and do not allow for a person""s arms to be situated in a way that suits his/her individual anatomy. Without the ability to adapt the armrests to fit the person: taller people may compensate by compressing their shoulders against the fixed arms (i.e., shrugged shoulders), shorter people may depress their shoulders (hanging due to lack of support) or, adjust themselves to sit on their sacrum or tail-bone which is improper body mechanics for sitting (slouching). Furthermore, immovable armrests do not enable the Reflexologist to easily access reflex areas on a client""s arms and hands. To achieve accessibility for the practitioner and proper arm support and comfort for the client the armrests need to swing out or abduct.
In available collapsible easy chairs, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,926, the chair armrests that are not only immovable and narrow, not fully supporting the arms, but they are also situated at an incorrect angle for a practitioner to correctly access the arms/hands of the client when a client is in either the upright or reclined position.
The locking mechanism on the available easy chairs is inadequate for the function of the practitioner who bears weight on the leg rest portion of the chair when working on a client""s feet. The lock is not designed with the work of the Reflexologist in mind and is therefore not sufficient. The locking mechanism is also not situated in a location that is convenient for the practitioner to access during a session.
The pair of guiding forked yokes on the rear legs of the available collapsible easy chairs are open around the tubular frame of the legs and made of polyacetal plastic. Based on experience, it has been found that people weighing more than 200 pounds have broken these collapsible easy chairs and in each instance it was the guiding link that failed.
To date no piece of equipment has been designed specifically to address the inadequacies of the available chairs and facilitate the special needs of Reflexologists and their clients. Reflexology practitioners have compromised themselves, their clients and their profession for nearly a century by not having a chair designed specifically for their profession. Modern day Reflexologists have tried to compensate for this ergonomic void by xe2x80x9cmaking duexe2x80x9d and using common chairs that are not designed for the specific function of the Reflexologist.
The present invention is directed to solving the problems with available chairs. The present invention is directed to a chair that: adjusts to and supports people of varying heights and weights, has movable armrests and a locking mechanism that is more than adequate for weight bearing with larger clients and accessible to the Reflexologist during a session. Therefore, the present invention addresses the concern for the Reflexologists body mechanics and adapts to custom fit and properly support the individual anatomical structure of any client.
The present invention comprises a folding chair designed to be adjustable, portable and lightweight. It offers features that are mechanically and ergonomically designed to facilitate proper body positioning and body mechanics for both the client and the Reflexology practitioner respectively.
The armrests of the chair are designed with 2xe2x80x3 foam that is concave along the middle, allowing the arm of the client to rest comfortably and be fully supported in this concave groove. The armrests also pivot out (abduction) and in (adduction) allowing the practitioner easy access to the client""s limb at a variety of angles. The height position of the armrest adjusts in order to accommodate the specific length of a client""s upper arm from shoulder to elbow. This height adjustment will allow the chair to comfortably accommodate a client of any size or with any shoulder pathology by allowing for a proper angle at the shoulder/neck region preventing additional or unnecessary tension in that area.
The leg rest section of the chair frame is designed to telescope the frame longer or shorter so as to accommodate people of varying heights. This feature is necessary, as the client""s feet must rest flush to the edge of the bottom of the chair when the client is in the chair in the reclined position. This built-in telescoping design allows the practitioner to properly manipulate the feet, ankles and legs of the client without compromising the practitioner""s body mechanics. Once the leg portion of the frame is either shortened or lengthened, individual, interchangeable, sectional cushions at the leg of the chair will accommodate the change. This is accomplished by simply snapping the appropriate cushion on or off as needed.
The head/shoulder portion of the frame is designed to telescope upward so as to lengthen the frame. Sectional cushion panels are also provided at the head and upper back portion of the chair. The panels function in the same way as they do at the leg rest section of the chair. If a practitioner chooses to manipulate the client""s head, shoulders or upper back the frame can be extended and the cushions can simply be unsnapped and removed or dropped down allowing for open access to the client""s head, neck, shoulders and upper back. Although this type of manipulation is not common in the use of foot Reflexology, practitioners of varying modalities such as body Reflexology, acupressure, massage and Reiki will find this feature useful.
A dual lever, lock-in-position brake system, is designed for easy use for positioning the chair and guarantees that the chair is securely locked into position. Two quick-release levers are positioned one at the foot end of the frame and one at the hand end of the armrest. When either one of these levers is released the other will automatically release as well. Releasing either lever will disengage a brake shoe and allow the Reflexologist to easily adjust the reclining angle of the chair at any time during a session.